Jeremy tapped Marie’s shoulder in the school hallway.It made him anxious to be walking straight into a group of Marie’s high class friends, but he knew that she was constantly surrounded during the day, so there was no chance of getting her by herself.He would just have to give her the gift in front of everyone else. “Marie?”He said shyly.“I…um…got you a present.” Marie raised a skeptic eyebrow, while the rest of her friends laughed.“Really?”She asked.“Why?” “Well, because…I…” “Wow, Marie,” one girl said with a shocked laugh.“He likes you!” “He does not,” Marie said quietly, her cheeks rapidly turning pink with embarrassment. “Yes I do,” Jeremy said suddenly, letting the truth out.Though he was grinning ear to ear, Marie could only stare at him with a dropped jaw. “Well, go on, Marie,” a burly football player encouraged.“Open his gift.Maybe it’s an engagement ring.”More laughter erupted and the speaker gave a high five to the guy standing next to him. Hesitantly, Marie opened the gift that Jeremy was handing her.A sad look overcame her face when she saw what lay inside, wrapped so gingerly in pastel tissue paper.The horribly intense yellow and the ugly green stripes made her cringe.She slowly put her hand over her mouth and closed her eyes, trying not to show the gloom that was enveloping her. “What is it, Marie?”One girl leaned over Marie’s shoulders to get a glimpse of the gift that Marie held shakily in her hands.Jeremy recognized the girl as the one that had been with Marie in the shop where he had first purchased the shoes.The girl leaned back and burst into laughter. “It’s not funny, Holly,” Marie mumbled miserably. “But Marie, aren’t those the shoes that you said you hated the other day?”A wide smirk was stretched across Holly’s face. “You…you said you wanted them,” Jeremy said, more confused than he had ever been. “She was joking,” Holly snapped harshly.“She hates those shoes.Anyone with a brain could figure that one out.” Jeremy found himself surrounded by laughing, insulting kids.There was no way out of the ridiculing.He knew that he had done something stupid, and now he was being made fun of for it. “Marie?”He called softly, just as the tears began to leak out of his eyes.She refused to look at him, though.Instead, she stared at the floor, unwilling to help him.Jeremy swallowed hard before running away, down the hall, to where he could at least escape the humiliation for awhile.
“Marie?” He said shyly. “I…um…got you a present.”
Marie raised a skeptic eyebrow, while the rest of her friends laughed. “Really?” She asked. “Why?”
“Well, because…I…”
“Wow, Marie,” one girl said with a shocked laugh. “He likes you!”
“He does not,” Marie said quietly, her cheeks rapidly turning pink with embarrassment.
“Yes I do,” Jeremy said suddenly, letting the truth out. Though he was grinning ear to ear, Marie could only stare at him with a dropped jaw.
“Well, go on, Marie,” a burly football player encouraged. “Open his gift. Maybe it’s an engagement ring.” More laughter erupted and the speaker gave a high five to the guy standing next to him.
Hesitantly, Marie opened the gift that Jeremy was handing her. A sad look overcame her face when she saw what lay inside, wrapped so gingerly in pastel tissue paper. The horribly intense yellow and the ugly green stripes made her cringe. She slowly put her hand over her mouth and closed her eyes, trying not to show the gloom that was enveloping her.
“What is it, Marie?” One girl leaned over Marie’s shoulders to get a glimpse of the gift that Marie held shakily in her hands. Jeremy recognized the girl as the one that had been with Marie in the shop where he had first purchased the shoes. The girl leaned back and burst into laughter.
“It’s not funny, Holly,” Marie mumbled miserably.
“But Marie, aren’t those the shoes that you said you hated the other day?” A wide smirk was stretched across Holly’s face.
“You…you said you wanted them,” Jeremy said, more confused than he had ever been.
“She was joking,” Holly snapped harshly. “She hates those shoes. Anyone with a brain could figure that one out.”
Jeremy found himself surrounded by laughing, insulting kids. There was no way out of the ridiculing. He knew that he had done something stupid, and now he was being made fun of for it.
“Marie?” He called softly, just as the tears began to leak out of his eyes. She refused to look at him, though. Instead, she stared at the floor, unwilling to help him. Jeremy swallowed hard before running away, down the hall, to where he could at least escape the humiliation for awhile.
Bright Yellow, Green Stripes Page Three